About us
Discover why the Wellington Faculty of Science is at the cutting edge of science discovery worldwide.
The Wellington Faculty of Science is made up of five schools which offer excellent teaching and world-leading research programmes in a wide range of fields. From Biomedical Science to Environmental Studies to Chemistry, the opportunities for study are numerous—in fact, most students have trouble choosing.
Our academic staff are highly regarded internationally and many are acknowledged each year with research and teaching awards in their specialist areas.
We are located in Wellington, the Science Capital of New Zealand—a thriving city and a great place to study and live. The Faculty has well-established links with the many Wellington-based science organisations and government agencies. Several noteworthy research centres and institutes are based in the Science Faculty, including:
- The MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology, New Zealand’s top research institute in materials science
- The Te Kāuru—Ferrier Research Institute, a team of internationally recognised chemists and biochemists
- The Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, the country’s largest private medical research institute
- The Antarctic Research Centre, a leading research group on Antarctic research and the global climate system. A team of researchers from the Centre, led by Professor Tim Naish, won the 2019 Prime Minister’s Science Prize, New Zealand’s most prestigious science award. Their work on the Antarctic ice sheet improved the accuracy of United Nations sea-level rise forecasts, helping the world to be better prepared for the impact of climate change.
Students benefit from research collaboration opportunities and summer placements with these and other organisations.
The Wellington Faculty of Science is centrally located at Kelburn Campus. Te Toki a Rata, a science teaching and research building, was completed in 2017 and provides additional state-of-the-art laboratory and office space for our growing number of students.